Safety bottle cap



Feb. 11, 1969 F. HIR SCHLER SAFETY BOTTLE CAP Filed April 26, 1967 m v6 QMW M Zw aw. v WA 0%? mm United States Patent Claims This invention relates to safety capping means for p bottles containing dangerous pills or liquids of any kind.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide safety capping structure for bottles containing dangerous or poisonous contents of any character.

It is well known that many serious accidents occur to adults and children when bottles containing dangerous elements to human life are open by an unauthorized user and the contents consumed. The novel safety capping structure is designed to defy any childs manipulation that would open the bottle for withdrawal of dangerous contents. The safety cap is designed also to prevent easy access by adults to the contents of the bottle containing elements dangerous to human life. Persons with nervous disorders have many times consumed barbiturates or the like from bottles having a conventional cap. The present structures are designed to make the user think carefully during the opening operation, and thus concentrate his mind on the fact that the bottle contains elements dangerous to human life. There are so many categories of dangerous or prescription drugs and pills and so many acids and liquids that it is impossible to enumerate them herein. It is believed sufficient to say that the problem of unauthorized opening of bottles containing a substance dangerous to human life is always present and multitudinous accidents have occured and will no doubt happen again. The novel safety feature is designed to prevent opening of a bottle by the careless but persistent manipulations of a child.

The safety capping structure is not complicated but a combination of cap movements are required to open the bottle and permit withdrawal of the contents therefrom.

In removing the safety cap, it is first necessary to start the cap in the usual counter clockwise manner. Then the cap is held manually against pressure from the bottle and turned in a clockwise manner until an inner portion of the cap is completely released from the bottle. Certain interior mechanism makes possible this safe removal of the bottle cap. It is a simple operation once instructed, but it defies children and even adults will have difiiculty if confused or unsure. The recapping is simply a matter of attaching the exterior bottle neck threads and turning the cap in a clockwise manner.

Another object of the invention is. to provide a safety capping structure for bottles that requires a combination of physical movements to withdraw the cap from the bottle neck.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a safety bottle capping structure that requires a succession of required physical movements before the cap is removed and dangerous contents made available.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing the safety cap attached to a conventional bottle;

FIGURE 2 is a transparent elevational view of the cap itself; and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded schematic view in elevation of all elements.

A bottle of any conformation, size or structure may have the safety bottle cap applied. It is essential that the "ice neck of the bottle be changed slightly. The threaded neck 12 may be formed integrally as part of the bottle or threaded therein as shown at 14 in FIGURE 3. It is immaterial as far as cap operation is concerned. The main difference in conventional bottle neck structure is in the interior threaded aperture 16 in the bottle neck itself. The neck aperture is restricted but this can be overcome by enlarging the bottle neck.

The exterior threads 18 of bottle neck are right handed for initial conventional removal of the cap in a counter clockwise movement. It is stated now that all threads may be reversed with satisfactory movement as will be later described, but the structure disclosed is the most desireable. The interior aperture 16 is threaded at 20* in a left handed manner for reasons later to be described.

The safety cap, FIGURES 2-3, has an expanded base 22 with interior threads 24 received on the threads 18 on the bottle. A slightly reduced upwardly projecting housing 26 is divided at 28 and the portion 28 apertured by a reduced squared opening 30. The upper cylindrical interior portion 32 of the cap housing has a removable cap 34 which may be firmly pressed thereon or thoroughly secured as desired. The cap merely contains the sealing elements of the safety mechanism.

A sealing plug 36, FIGURES 2-3, has a small cap 38 and a squared shank 40 that slides in the retaining opening 30 at all times. The lower tip 42 of the sealing plug 38 is threaded at 44 for engagement with the threaded bottle cap interior aperture 16. The spring 46 is contained between cap 38 of the plug 36 and the removable cap 34. The spring 48 surrounding plug 36 is contained between cap 38 and the apertured division portion 28.

The safety cap as described in compact and the lower end 42 of the threaded sealing plug projects slightly below the base 22 thereof. The cap is in a position for optional removable or replacement in a safe manner under control of the spring tensioned plug 36 sliding in the squared rotary retaining opening 30. The retaining opening could have any shape.

The operation of the device is not so complicated as to defy use but it requires certain unconventional movements to permit removal from the bottle. Replacement of the cap is entirely natural although certain safety elements are at work. Let us assume that the user or filler of a dangerous prescription attempts to attach the cap to the bottle. The interior threads 24 of the base 22 readily engage the right hand threads 18 of the bottle neck 12 and the cap is manually rotated to clockwise or sealed position. The threaded tip 42 of the sealing plug 36 cannot enter the left handed threaded 20 interior bottle necks aperture and merely rides thereon during the capping operation.

When the safety cap is to be removed and the dangerous contents, liquid or solid exposed, it is an entirely different story. The expanded base 22 of the cap is moved naturally in a counterclockwise manner. It may be detached from the bottle neck but no farther. In the meantime, the spring pressed sealing plug 36 with left handed threads 44 is moved in a direction wherein the threaded tip will mesh with the threaded interior and draw the sealing plug into the neck of the bottle. Therefore, as the cap base is being released, the inter plug is engaging the bottle to fullest extent.

Now it is necessary for the operator to use a directed movement. He must hold the bottle in one hand and the cap in the other. They must be slightly separated. (That is the interior thread 24 disengaged from bottle neck 12, pulling against spring 48 the cap is manually rotated in a reverse or clockwise manner.) There are several easy finger movements that permit this reverse operation. Clockwise movement will now release the rotary retained threaded end 44 of the sealing plug 36 and it will be gradually withdrawn from the bottle and the contents ready for use.

The operation is not difficult and the arrangement of parts is relatively simple but the safety results are obviously effective. No great imagination is required, just enough to save many lives or dangerous accidents.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believe to be the preferred form of my invention, it Will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the shape and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the broad scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A safety capping device for bottles containing dangerous pills or liquids, comprising:

a threaded bottle neck having an interior threaded aperture;

a safety cap threaded to engage the threaded bottle neck;

a housing in said safety cap; and

a spring loaded sealing plug in said housing non engageable with the bottle neck when the safety cap is first engaged but when the safety cap is removed, the sealing plug engages the bottle neck until the cap is detached whereupon a reverse movment of the safety cap permits complete withdrawal of the sealing plug.

2. A safety capping device for bottles containing dangerous pills or liquids, comprising:

a threaded bottleneck having an interior threaded aperture;

a safety cap threaded to engage the threaded bottle neck;

a portion of said cap forming an upper housing having a plug controlled aperture between the housing and the threaded portion thereof; and

a spring loaded sealing plug non engageable with the bottle neck when the safety cap is first engaged but when the safety cap is removed, the sealing plug engages the bottle neck until the cap is detached whereupon a reverse movement of the safety cap permits complete withdrawal of the sealing plug.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which there is a divided portion in said housing in which said plug controlling aperture is disposed.

4. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which an adapter portion having similar design may be connected to a conventional bottle neck.

5. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which a head on the sealing plug is disposed between upper and lower spring members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1966 Tuuri 215-9 8/1966 Law 2l59 

1. A SAFETY CAPPING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES CONTAINING DANGEROUS PILLS OR LIQUIDS, COMPRISING: A THREADED BOTTLE NECK HAVING AN INTERIOR THREADED APERTURE; A SAFETY CAP THREADED TO ENGAGE THE THREADED BOTTLE NECK; A HOUSING IN SAID SAFETY CAP; AND A SPRING LOADED SEALING PLUG IN SAID HOUSING NON ENGAGEABLE WITH THE BOTTLE NECK WHEN THE SAFETY CAP IS FIRST ENGAGED BUT WHEN THE SAFETY CAP IS REMOVED, THE SEALING PLUG ENGAGES THE BOTTLE NECK UNTIL THE CAP IS DETACHED WHEREUPON A REVERSE MOVEMENT OF THE SAFETY CAP PERMITS COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF THE SEALING PLUG. 